Architecture

News about Architecture, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 17, 2015

Inside Art column; Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture of Asymptote Architecture will desgn building for Hermitage Modern Contemporary museum in Moscow. MORE

Jul. 13, 2015

Modernist architect Le Corbusier is subject of controversy in France as Pompidou Center hosts show celebrating 50th anniversary of his death; exhibition has been criticized for glossing over his involvement with far-right groups, as detailed in three new books. MORE

Jul. 7, 2015

Jiaojiehe journal; award-winning architect Li Xiaodong has built innovative library in Jiaojiehe, China, that has become a tourist attraction; among highly intriguing features are branches from thousands of local fruit trees that were used to cover library's roof and exterior walls. MORE

Jun. 26, 2015

Inside Art column; Serpentine Gallery in London's Kensington Gardens unveils latest summer pavilion made up of wormlike tunnel structure created by husband-and-wife architectural team SelgasCano. MORE

Jun. 24, 2015

Plans for $147 million controversial Guggenheim museum in Helsinki, Finland, inch forward with announcement that design by Moreau Kusnoki Architectes has been selected after year-long competition; height and coloring of winning design, which features dark timber and lighthouselike tower, add to Finns' public objections over project, which many complain should not be funded by Finnish government. MORE

Jun. 21, 2015

Luise Stauss Domains interview with Justus Oehler and Uta Tjaden at their 1928 Bauhaus-style villa in Berlin. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

The Appraisal column; New York architect Jonathan Marvel and his father Thomas Marvel, prolific designer in Puerto Rico, are practicing architecture together in New York City; both hope to one day return to Caribbean for work, especially in Cuba, where Marvel family has roots. MORE

Jun. 14, 2015

Jun. 3, 2015

Vivian Marino 30-Minute Interview with Amale Andraos, newly appointed dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. MORE

May. 20, 2015

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission rejects plan by Seagram Building owner Aby J Rosen to alter interior of Four Seasons restaurant, which was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson in 1958 and designated landmark in 1989; Four Seasons lease is set to expire and restaurant is actively looking for new home. MORE

May. 7, 2015

Cornell University has sued the architectural firm founded by the noted architect I.M. Pei, asserting that its design for the expansion of the university’s art museum was flawed. MORE

May. 7, 2015

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column observes that Oculus structure, centerpiece of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub designed by Santiago Calatrava, will soon open to limited visitors; notes that regardless of one's estimation of building's aesthetic merits, opening will help relieve pedestrian traffic that has long been snarled amid construction. MORE

May. 7, 2015

Some architects and preservationists are protesting proposal by Seagram Building owner Aby J Rosen to alter its landmark Four Seasons restaurant, arguing that any changes will ruin historic interior. MORE

May. 6, 2015

Vivian Marino 30-Minute Interview with Gary E Handel, founding partner of Handel Architects, firm best known for its work on the National September 11 Memorial. MORE

May. 3, 2015

Katonah Museum of Art has filled its building with exhibitions commemorating structure's 25th anniversary, which was designed by modernist architect and former area resident Edward Larrabee Barnes; exhibits A Home for Art: Edward Larrabee Barnes and the KMA, Chris Larson: The Katonah Relocation Project and Katohan: A Moving Story are on view together through October (Metropolitan/Westchester). MORE

May. 1, 2015

Apr. 18, 2015

Editorial holds that New York City's 1965 landmarks preservation law, which has seen many successes at its 50th anniversary, is not being used aggressively enough; questions how Mayor Bill de Blasio and landmarks chairwoman Meenakshi Srinivasan will balance need for rapid construction of affordable housing with responsibility for preserving city's architectural legacy; contends that delicate balance, while difficult to maintain, is essential. MORE

Mar. 30, 2015

So-called 'skinny house' in Mamaroneck, NY, designed by African-American architect Nathan T Seely in 1932, has been recommended for addition to the National Register of Historic Places; building is only 10 feet wide. MORE

Mar. 27, 2015

Exhibitions Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955-1980, at Museum of Modern Art, Moderno: Design for Living in Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela, 1940-1978 at Americas Society and New Territories: Laboratories for Design, Craft and Art in Latin America, at Museum of Arts and Design, give comprehensive look at 20th-century Latin American aesthetics. MORE

Mar. 15, 2015

Mar. 13, 2015

Michael Graves, prominent and prolific 20th century American architect who was also celebrated for his teakettle and pepper mill, dies at age 80; he began as member of the New York Five, group that achieved fame by helping to redefine modernism in the 1970s, and later became an exemplar of postmodernist style, creating some 350 buildings and many houseware designs. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Building Blocks column examines legacy of TriBeCa Synagogue, structure designed by late architect William N Breger; observes that in designing the unusually-curved structure, Breger chose motif of 'eternal flame'; notes that Breger opposed changes to the structure in later years, but eventually embraced them. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

The English architect David Chipperfield was chosen for the project, which will most likely involve demolishing the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing in the museum’s southwest corner. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

German architect Frei Otto is named winner of Pritzker Prize in recognition of his airy pavilions and other inventive feats of engineering, including roof canopies designed for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich; Otto died two weeks before the announcement was made, and is first posthumous winner of the Pritzker, architecture's highest honor. MORE

Mar. 4, 2015

Michael Kimmelman Critics Notebook; Orange County Legislature is set to vote on whether to demolish Orange County Government Center in Goshen, NY, designed by architect Paul Rudolph. MORE

Mar. 1, 2015

High-end New York City developers are converting restoring grand lobbies in pre-war commercial buildings as part of residential conversions; developers say lobbies can make a startling first impression, and give buildings an advantage in an increasingly crowded luxury market. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Palm Springs, Calif, has long been known for its jet set crowd, but in recent times it has been marketing itself as destination for devotees of its slightly idealized past, promoting its credentials as attraction of modernist architecture and celebrity culture; about 50,000 fans of midcentury modern architecture have gathered in town for 10th annual celebration of Modernism Week. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Q&A with architectural photographer Helene Binet, recipient of 2015 Excellence in Photography award from Julius Shulman Institute, who discusses her exhibition at Woodbury University Hollywood Gallery in Los Angeles and what inspired her to become an architectural photographer. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Architect Richard Landry designs extremely large and ostentatious mansions in wide variety of styles for rich and famous. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Q&A with Nelda Linsk, one of women pictured in popular Slim Aarons photograph Poolside Gossip, which was shot in 1970 at Richard Neutra's Kaufman House and is being celebrated at annual Palm Springs Modernism Week. MORE

Feb. 17, 2015

Michael Kimmelman Critic's Notebook considers ethical responsibilities of architects in light of decision by American Institute of Architects to reject petition to censure members for designing solitary-confinement cells or death chambers in prisons. MORE

Feb. 12, 2015

Q&A with Jeffrey Herr, curator of Frank Lloyd Wright's 1921 Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, which is set to reopen after $4.3 million restoration project. MORE

Feb. 7, 2015

Saturday Profile of Wu Liangyong, influential Chinese architect and urban planner who has grappled with problems presented by country's massive cities. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Building Blocks column; death of venerable New York City architect Jordan Gruzen brings to close father-son practice dating to the 1930s that left indelible stamp on city's skyline; highlights of works created by Gruzen and his firms noted. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Q&A with architect Stephen Cassell, who designed modern, aesthetically pleasing chicken coop for client in the Hamptons. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Louis Vuitton Foundation museum in Paris, which has attracted notice for architect Frank Gehry's bold and playful design, is opening modern masterpiece exhibit in April; museum's directors hope that exhibit, which includes works by Edvard Munch, Matisse and Leger, will bring institution's artwork the same level of attention as its architecture has received. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

Sam Lubell travel article shares highlights of trip to Rome to seek out notable examples of contemporary architecture. MORE

Jan. 28, 2015

Michael Kimmelman Critic's Notebook warns proposed renovation will destroy Orange County Government Center building in Goshen, NY, designed by architect Paul Rudolph; says county should seriously consider offer from New York architect Gene Kaufman, who wants to buy building and convert it to arts center and who will design new government center in return. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Jan. 24, 2015

Charleston, SC, recognized for its historic downtown buildings, is embroiled in controversy over what kind of new architecture to erect in city undergoing period of expansion and economic growth; modernists have butted heads with traditionalists as city grapples with its new identity as booming metropolis versus its longtime reliance on charm and tourist dollars. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Vivian Marino 30-Minute Interview with Helmut Jahn, German-born architect based in Chicago, who discusses his current work and evolution of the architecture market. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

Architecture for Humanity, nonprofit design group that pursued socially conscious construction in places damaged by war or natural disaster, shuts down after declaring plans to file bankruptcy; reasons for financial distress remain unclear, though some question group's spending under founder Cameron Sinclair. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Mr. Schwarz will be awarded the $200,000 prize, which recognizes classic architecture in modern society. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Philharmonie de Paris, $455 million concert hall, opens in 19th Arrondissement on border between wealthy and poor areas of Paris; some have questioned whether hall, designed by star architect Jean Nouvel, will be able to achieve its stated goal of attracting patrons from city's working class suburbs and bridging cultural divide. MORE

Jan. 11, 2015

Download interview with architect Moshe Safdie, who offers recommendations for books and other forms of entertainment. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Q&A with professional Lego modeler Adam Reed Tucker, one of the few Lego certified builders in the world; Tucker's latest project is model of Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and school in Scottsdale, Ariz, for the Wright Foundation. MORE

No longer a fortress in an uneasy city, the Whitney Museum of American Art opens itself up to a changed New York, a glittery emblem of new urban capital signaling a definitive shift in the city’s social geography.

A panoramic view of the United Palace, a former “Wonder Theater” now run by a religious organization that has formed partnerships with an in-house booking agency for concerts and a community programming group.

A U.F.O.-like dome with sci-fi origins has become a mecca for spiritual seekers looking to zone out on its sound baths. One curious writer travels to the Mojave Desert to see what all the noise is about.